As the title states, I'm wondering what the people at /r/uwaterloo think about getting a minor that isn't in any way related to your field of work/study, but that you are interested in. Such as a Computer Science major who gets a minor in something like History, or a Physics Major who minors in East Asian Studies.

In such a case, do you think it is better to take the courses that interest you, without going after a minor?

I think it's a great idea. Exposure to multiple disciplines is a great way to gain new skills and understanding in terms of how said disciplines function/operate. It will give you a more diversified wealth of knowledge/skills, and employers often see that as an asset.

I am majoring in cs and planning to minor in philosophy. I did this mostly because I am interested in both fields but I am finding that there is a surprising amount of correlation, especially with regards to logic.

I recall the author of
The Most Human Human had a double major in CS and Philosophy. It showed through his writing and it was really refreshing to read.

I think Philosophy particularly is the best complementary degree you could get especially if your first degree is Science/Engineering. If it wasn't for my shitty essay writing skills I would have went for philosophy as a 2nd degree.

University is a time to explore exactly this! If you can fit it into your schedule, why not? In fact, it helps to be a 'multidisciplinary' person in today's workforce. We benefit from having all sorts of different knowledge.

One of the greatest regrets I have about undergrad is exactly doing /not/ this, and graduating earlier as a result (I did CS major, Math minor). Now I look back wishing I had done something that explored more of my artistic tendencies.

Lesson here is: you should take courses that appear interesting to you, despite not being directly related to your current major. If, with one or two extra courses, altogether they make a minor, you might as well take advantage of this. If not, doesn't particularly matter, so long as you are interested in the subject content.

It's nice to have a second subject that you're interested in, but I wouldn't worry too much specifically about getting a minor. I did a double major in the math faculty and also took one or two music courses almost every term (chamber ensembles and something else). I didn't get a minor out of it, but I'm still very glad I did it. It's nice to work on stuff that doesn't have anything to do with one's major.